I was home schooled for all of my elementary education. I got a good education there. My mom was a certified teacher, so that helped. We went on "field trips" all the time. It was great, I loved it. When I switched to a public school in middle school the only real difference I noticed between me and the other students was not my education level, but my interests. I simply was not interested in Pokemon, Dawson's Creek, or Giga Pets. I admit at first it made me feel uncomfortable, but it was only a temporary thing.
In my experience there are certainly weird home schooled kids, but there are plenty of weirdos who went to the local public school.
The real tragedy is when kids are taught to believe they have to be one way, socially or on test scores, and if they don't match up to these "standards" they should be considered failures.
The idea that good grades equal success in life is a good story, but more or less a myth. The sad part is that some kids, who try their best but just do horribly on tests, believe it. (See "The Millionaire Mind" by Thomas Stanley.)
I am not really an advocate of home schooling, I am more an advocate of parents getting involved in their children's lives. Helping them get the best education they can. For some, the public school is the way, for others (like me) the best was to be home schooled for a time. One solution does not fit all children, nor should it.
That's the key. Parents.
